Fenerbahce Dogus Istanbul is coming off a historic season that saw it become the first Turkish team to win the EuroLeague. Fenerbahce started the season streak-happy – winning four, losing three and winning four games again. Bogdan Bogdanovic suffered an ankle injury that kept him out for 13 games, but center Ekpe Udoh starred and his big game helped Fenerbahce to an overtime road win over CSKA Moscow in Round 14. Another winning streak, this time six victories in seven games – including home triumphs over Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens, Olympiacos Piraeus and CSKA – improved the team’s record to 16-8 and fourth place. However, injuries, which plagued Fenerbahce the entire season, continued to take a toll. The absence of Kostas Sloukas was the latest hit, and Fenerbahce lost four of its next five games, in the process fumbling away its playoff home-court chances. Instead, Fenerbahce would go on the road to face Coach Zeljko Obradovic's former team Panathinaikos in a highly-anticipated series. Fenerbahce rode a red-hot Bogdanovic to become the first team to sweep a EuroLeague playoff series without home-court advantage. With Udoh taking the lead, Fenerbahce dominated at the Final Four, beating Real Madrid in the semifinals and Olympiacos in the championship game. Udoh earned Final Four MVP honors and Obradovic conquered his ninth EuroLeague title with a fifth different team. The celebrations saw millions of Fenerbahce fans partying throughout the world. Fenerbahce used the momentum and went on to sweep its way through the Turkish League playoffs, winning all nine games and defending its crown. Now, the job gets even tougher, as the club that has existed for more than a century looks to add to its growing EuroLeague legacy, but this time as reigning champion.

EuroLeague

SEASON

COMPETITION

RECORD

FINISH

2016-17

EuroLeague

23-12

Champion

2015-16

EuroLeague

23-6

Final Four

2014-15

EuroLeague

22-7

Final Four

2013-14

EuroLeague

14-10

Top 16

2012-13

EuroLeague

7-17

Top 16

2011-12

EuroLeague

8-8

Top 16

2010-11

EuroLeague

10-6

Top 16

2009-10

EuroLeague

3-7

Regular Season

2008-09

EuroLeague

7-9

Top 16

2007-08

EuroLeague

9-13

Playoffs

2006-07

EuroLeague

5-9

Regular Season

2005-06

EuroLeague

6-14

Top 16

2004-05

EuroLeague

10-12

Playoffs

2003-04

EuroLeague

9-11

Top 16

2002-03

EuroLeague

12-8

Top 16

2001-02

EuroLeague

10-10

Top 16

TOTAL:

178-159

History

Founded in 1907, Fenerbahce opened its doors to basketball seven years later, but waited decades until it claimed its first titles. Fenerbahce was the Turkish national champion in 1957, 1959 and 1965 before the Turkish League was formally founded in 1966. Fener, as it is popularly known among fans, also made EuroLeague appearances each year following the titles, but a quarter-century passed before club experienced more success. Fenerbahce beat Tofas for the 1991 Turkish League title, returned to the Turkish League finals in 1992, 1993 and 1995 and finished third in 1998 to qualify for the EuroLeague. With a strong team featuring Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, Marko Milic, Ibrahim Kutluay and Conrad McRae, Fenerbahce advanced to the playoff eighthfinals before losing to Real Madrid. The club reached the Korac Cup quarterfinals in 1996 and 2001 and ranked fourth in the 2005 FIBA Europe League, but it wasn't until the summer of 2006 that the team became a European powerhouse. That’s when Fenerbahce merged with Ulker, one of the winningest clubs in Turkish basketball history, which had won four Turkish League titles between 1995 and 2006 with Harun Erdenay, Ibrahim Kutluay, Michael Anderson, Orhun Ene, Mirsad Turkcan and Serkan Erdogan among its many stars. Ulker made the Top 16 for five consecutive seasons between 2002 and 2006, beating all the best European teams in the process, and reached the 2005 EuroLeague playoffs where it lost to CSKA Moscow. In the first two years of the new Fenerbahce Ulker, the team won back-to-back Turkish League titles and qualified to the EuroLeague playoffs in 2008. Emir Preldzic, Turkcan, Omer Onan and Roko Ukic helped Fenerbahce win Turkish League and Cup doubles in 2010 and 2011 and the club won another Cup title in 2013. With the arrival of legendary Coach Zeljko Obradovic came another Turkish championship in 2014, and a year later Fenerbahce made history by reaching its first EuroLeague Final Four. However, its memorable run was halted in the semifinals by eventual champion Real Madrid. That turned out to be a title-free campaign, but Fenerbahce made up for that in 2015-16 with another domestic double, winning the Turkish Cup on a Bogdan Bogdanovic buzzer-beating triple in a thrilling final against Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul, before ousting archrival Galatasaray in the semifinals and Anadolu Efes Istanbul 4-2 in the best-of-seven Turkish League final series. Last season, Fenerbahce added its third league crown in four years, but the EuroLeague success changed the face of the proud club, which for years waited for this glorious moment.